A life changing voyage around Britain for young people

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Participating Groups

The groups participating in Voyage to Success 2012 are typical of the groups that the Cirdan Trust supports throughout the year.

Leg 1 London to Harwich 26 May to 1 June Barnardo’s Lincolnshire Leaving Care Service

Leg 2 Harwich to Hartlepool 1 June to 8 June Barnardo’s Lincolnshire Leaving Care Service

These groups of young people aged between 17 and 25 are from Barnardo’s Leaving Care Service in Lincolnshire. The Leaving Care Service works with young people who have been through the care system; their aim is to ensure all care leavers increase their self-esteem and confidence and achieve positive outcomes in the future. Care leavers sometimes face additional challenges such as a history of being involved in youth offending, substance or alcohol misuse, homelessness and poor academic achievement. The service helps them to see that whilst they were unable to control their childhood circumstances they are now in a position to change their lives for the better. The young people are encouraged to develop communication and team work skills and supported through engagement in education, employment and training. In this respect they are involved in on-going project work of which the voyage is part and their leaders see it as a life changing opportunity for young people, who have never travelled beyond Lincolnshire.

Leg 3 Hartlepool to Eyemouth 9 to 15 June Deckham Community Centre, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear

Deckham Community Centre aim to provide a safe place for young people to take part in positive activities. The Centre runs issue-based sessions with a view to encouraging them to play a full part in society.

Leg 4 Eyemouth to Inverness 16 to 22 June Connect, Duns, Berwickshire

This group of young people are a mixed group aged between 13 and 19 years from low income backgrounds. Amongst the group are young people with low self-esteem and self-confidence, some are excluded from mainstream education whilst others have leadership potential. Located in Duns, Berwickshire, Connect is a registered charity that supports the development of young people on their journey from childhood to adulthood. Working in partnership with Community and Learning, the group hope to gain Youth Achievement Awards in recognition of their particpation in the voyage. Some of the young people have the potential to become young leaders of the future whilst others will be challenged by the experience. The aim of the voyage is to improve the confidence of all participants and give them a chance to achieve and share a common experience that can be reflected upon back on dry land.

Orcel Sea Training is voluntary group up with the specific purpose of developing young people using the medium of sail training. Through the experience they hope to build self-confidence, team work and leadership skills. This all female group from low income backgrounds are aged between 12 and 25 years. In preparation for the voyage they have been meeting on a weekly basis to plan for their forthcoming experience and to fundraise. Through the experience, the young people will learn new life skills such as how to care for themselves, work as a team and communicate with each other. The new skills they learn with regard to sailing will enable them to gain an RYA qualification.

Leg 6 Glasgow to Liverpool 30 June to 6 July Quarriers’ James Shields Project, Glasgow

These young people aged between 20 & 25 years are all part of Quarriers’ James Shields Project in Glasgow. Quarriers, a registered charity, offers support to young people and adults. The James Shields project is the Quarriers’ residential unit for people facing homelessness. The aim of the project is to assist the young people to gain independence and eventually move on to their own tenancy. As part of an on-going project, the young people are participating in the voyage to help them develop life skills, increase motivation and work as a part of team. The young people are from a range of backgrounds and have different issues but these include: being homeless, no family, chaotic lifestyles and fleeing violence. The voyage aims to take the young people out of their home environment and present them with the challenge of working the boat, learning about health and safety and working alongside each other.

Positive Futures, Liverpool is a registered charity that works with disadvantaged young people from deprived areas. It’s aim is to make a positive impact in the community, change lives for the better and widen horizons. It provide activities with the aim of ensuring a long lasting positive future. The young people who have been chosen for the voyage come from the most deprived area in the UK. They are aged between 13 and 19 and are participating in the voyage as part of an on-going project in line with core programmes of personal development. The aim of the voyage is to challenge the young people with a new experience, develop their teamwork skills, build their self-confidence, reduce anti-social behaviour and generally develop life skills.

Leg 8 Swansea to Falmouth 15 to 22 July Dylan Thomas School, Swansea

This group are connected to the Dylan Thomas School in Swansea. The mixed gender group of young people aged between 12 and 17 years are from a range of backgrounds and experience a number of social challenges. The project is part of a prevention group for the youth offending service with many of their young people having been excluded from mainstream education and are regarded as at risk of offending. The group leader, having sailed with the Trust many years ago, is confident that the voyage will be a positive experience that will provide participants with the opportunity to increase their self-esteem and self-confidence and gain a whole range of life skills.

This is a group of individual young people participating in the voyage to complete the Gold Residential section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. These young people are from various parts of the UK and are participating as individuals unfamiliar with the others in the group. They will be expected to care for themselves and each other whilst learning new skills and facing the challenge of life at sea.

Leg 10 Weymouth to Eastbourne 1 to 6 August York Children’s Services, York, North Yorkshire

This foster care group works under the direction of York Children’s Services to provide young people in care with the opportunity to integrate into normal family life. The young people with whom they work have generally had difficult and chaotic lives resulting in them being quite troubled. Through the respite work done with the foster care group, the young people are given the chance to take part in outdoor, adventurous activities within a family environment. This allows them to socialise, raise their self-esteem, build self-confidence and enjoy the experience of having fun.

Leg 11 Eastbourne to London 7 to 12 August Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award Scheme

This is a group of individual young people participating in the voyage to complete the Gold Residential section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. These young people are from various parts of the UK and are participating as individuals unfamiliar with the others in the group. They will be expected to care for themselves and each other whilst learning new skills and facing the challenge of life at sea.